Bathing garment



c. N; WINSHIP BATHING GARMENT Jan. 23, 1934.

Filed March 5, 1932 Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE'7 1,944,482" BATHING GARMENT Charles N. Winship, wakefield Mass.Application March 5, 1932. Serial No. 596,916 3 Claims. (01. 2-67) Thisinvention relates to bathing'suits, bathing trunks, and other shortlegged garments.

It aims to improve garments of this type with a view to producing a morecomfortable and better fitting article.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a garment embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a crotch view of the garment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the inside crotch portion of the garment;

Figs. 4 and dare plan views of the front and rear sections of thegarment; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are plan views of the inner and outer crotch pieces of thegarment.

In bathing suits and other short legged garments, particularly those ofthe athletic type, it is the usual practice to insert a diamond-shapedgusset in the crotch to give the added fullness required at this point.The corners connected by the longest dimension of this piece are locatedat the front and rear, respectively, of the garment,'and the other twocorners are joined to the legs at opposite sides of the crotch anddirectly between the legs. In a garment made of heavy fabrics, such asthose used in bathing suits, this construction produces a bunching ofthe material where the seams meet between the legs 35 and at oppositesides of the crotch. Such bunching frequently causes severe chafing. Toavoid this diificulty and to improve the fit of garments of this typeconstitutes the chief object of this invention.

The bathing suit shown in Fig. 1 includes a shirt portion 2 stitched at3 to a pair of trunks 4, the trunks including short legs 55. Connectingthese legs is a crotch piece 6 joined to the front and rear portions ofthe trunk 4 by front and rear scams '7 and 8, respectively, which,instead of being located in the crotch, are positioned at the front andrear of the crotch. Preferably the opposite edge portions or margins ofthe crotch piece which extend from the front toward the rear of thegarment, form portions of the legs of the garment sothat the scams 7 and8 extend laterally entirely across the crotch from one leg to the other.They are spaced apart from front to rear by substantial distances sothat no seams are present in the crotch except the seams 5 which areformed in hemming the legs and which completely surround the legopenmgs.

The trunks 4 may be made in several ways, in all of which the crotchpiece 6 can be used substantially as shown. In a typical constructionfront and rear panels 9 and 10, respectively, are cut from suitablefabric, each of these sections having a central crotch notch, asindicated at 11 and 12, respectively. A crotch piece 6 of approximatelythe form shown in Fig. "1' is cut out of similar material, thispiecebeing notched at opposite ends, as clearly shown in said figure.The central length of this crotch section is shorter than the lengths ofthe edges. One of the notched ends is made substantially the length ofthe notch 11 in the front section 9, while the opposite notched end ismade somewhat longer and of a length approximately equal to that of thenotch 12 in the rear or back section 10. The opposite notched ends ofthe crotch piece'are stitched to the edges of the notches 11 and 12,respectively, thus forming the seams 7 and'8p'reviously referred to, andthe margin of the leg portions are turned over'and hermned to form thescams 5. The top also may be hemmed if desired.

In many garments it is preferable to make'the crotch piece double, inwhich case an inner piece 6', Fig. 6, of the same length as the part 6,but

narrower than the latter, is cut out and is stitched to the sections 9and 10, together with the main crotch section 6. This inner or liningsection of the crotch piece is shown in Fig. 3 at 6.

The construction above described completely avoids the bunching of seamsbetween the legs and at opposite sides of the crotch which has beenobjectionable in prior garments because of its liability to producechafing. In addition, it provides a garment which conforms moreaccurately to the shape of the wearer. It will be evident, however, thatthe trunks may be made in ways other than that above described. Forexample, it may have front and rear median seams connecting two lateralsections which are approximately duplicates, or the entire body portionof the so i piece having its front and rear ends notched, and said frontand rear portions having central notches to which the notched ends,respectively, of said crotch piece are sewed, whereby the seams at saidends extend laterally of the garment from one leg to the other and arespaced one in front of the other.

2. A short legged garment comprising front and rear portions to protectthe lower part of the trunk of the wearers body, and a crotch piecejoined to said portions and forming the crotch and parts of the legs ofthe garment, said crotch piece having its front and rear ends notched,and said front and rear portions having central notches to which thenotched ends, respectively, of said crotch piece are sewed, the lateraledges of said crotch piece being hemmed where it partly bounds the legopenings, and the seams at the ends of the crotch piece extendingdirectly across the garment from one leg opening to the other.

3. A short legged garment comprising front and rear portions to protectthe lower part of the trunk of the wearers body, said portions havingcentral notches located at the front and rear, respectively, of thecrotch, and a crotch piece having front and rear notched ends sewed tothe edges of said front and rear notches, respectively, the crotch pieceextending laterally of the garment from one leg opening to the other,whereby the seams joining said crotch piece to the main body of thegarment extend laterally of the garment at the front and rear,respectively, of the crotch.

CHARLES N. WINSI-IIP.

